The German Shepherd breed of dog has become synonymous with intelligence, loyalty, and ferocity since its introduction in 1899 and according to Time magazine they are the second most popular breed in the United States behind the Labrador Retriever. While for many, 1899 was a long time ago, it is only a short moment ago on the evolutionary time scale and the fact that a dog breed as young as the German Shepherd would quickly become so popular is a testament to its virtues.
History of the Dog
To examine the evolutionary roots of the domesticated dog, one must travel a long and winding road back through millions of years and countless geologic time periods to 29 million years ago when the carnivorous Miacids prowled the Earth. The Miacids were small mammals that were essentially the original mammals as Miacids split into two distinct carnivorous groups, Feloidea, meaning cat-like, and Canoidea, meaning dog-like. It was this split that saw the gradual emergence of bears, raccoons, wolves, cheetahs, lions, and of course, dogs. Dogs specifically evolved directly from grey wolves, or their latin nomenclature Canis lupus, hence the domesticated dogs formal name, Canis lupus familiaris which designates dogs as a subspecies of wolf. It is because of this close relation that dogs and wolves are still able to interbred, creating wolf-dog hybrids that are notorious for their destructive ways and resistance to domestication.
According to archaeologists, humans were domesticating wolves into dogs as early as 32,000 years ago as various remnants of domesticated dogs dating from 20,000-33,000 years ago have been found in burial pits across Europe and Asia. Geneticists have done numerous experiments showing that the domestication of the dog was a selective and methodical process in which breeders only bred wolves with desirable traits, creating the broad diversity we see across dog breeds today.
The German Shepherd
In the 19th century, dog breeding was a very popular pastime and there was great effort by Europeans to categorize and standardize the myriad of dog breeds in the continent. As a result, now-famous German Max von Stephanitz admired the strong, wolf-like herding dogs used by German shepherds and decided that he would create a strong and uniquely German breed of dog. Once Stephanitz found his idea shepherding dog, he named him Hektor Linksrhein and used the dog as a model for the future German Shepherd breed. In order to accomplish his goal of standardizing the breed, Stephantiz created the Verein für Deutsche Schäferhunde (Society for German Shepherd Dogs),or the SV, and met with other breeders and codified the primary characteristics of the breed. Since its foundation in 1899, the SV has grown to become the most popular breed-specific club in the world and the German Shepherd has become a stable at dog shows and in the home.
Characteristics of a German Shepherd
Max von Stephanitz made it a point that German Shepherds would be known for their intelligence, hardiness, and most of all, their adaptability. They are large dogs as the males grow to between 70 and 80 pounds and about 25 inches tall and German Shepherds are known for their loyalty as well as their ferocious temperament towards those it does not trust. Many proponents of the German Shepherd breed have argued that their wolf-like appearance causes them to be unfair targets of those who are afraid of dogs and point to the fact that they are excellent family dogs and are not inherently aggressive.
Von Stephanitz chose German Shepherds because of their ability to work, and it is this quality that has made the breed so popular across the world. German Shepherds are the preferred breed for police dogs across the world as well as for firefighting, search and rescue, and as service dogs. Their loyalty and compassion make them excellent work dogs across the board and they are still notably utilized as sheep dogs across the globe.
Despite being a dog that is the product of decades of meticulous breeding, this has actually proved to be a setback in some areas, especially overall health of the German Shepherd. One of the downsides of breeding is that inbreeding becomes a necessity to preserve certain markings and traits and over the years, the genetic issues begin to manifest themselves as hip and joint deformities. In fact, the modern German Shepherd is considered one of the more unhealthy breeds in terms of hip and joint health and the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals estimates that 19.1% of all German Shepherds suffer from hip dysplasia. Another drawback regarding breeding is the fact that the explosion of popularity regarding German Shepherds as significantly decreased the ability for the SV to control their breeding and many German Shepherds have seen the qualities that set them above suffer. Even within Germany, where the dogs are revered as a national symbol, police forces have begun to replace the dogs with other breeds considered hardier. In a twist of fate, the very breeding that turned German Shepherds into an international icon is threatening their viability.
Conclusion
For being a relatively young breed, German Shepherds were essentially designed with utility in mind and they have more than fit the bill. Despite some minor health issues, German Shepherds are still considered one of the world’s most desirable dogs and make up a large majority of world’s emergency services dogs. Notably, a German Shepherd dog was used in the operation to assassinate Osama bin Laden but it might be a little bit of a mood killer to discover that the United States military has specifically begun incorporating dogs into their ranks as a result of the dangers of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). Nonetheless, German Shepherds have a guaranteed place in not just the heart of the German people, but of nearly all people worldwide and they will likely continue to be one of the world’s most popular breeds for years to come.